Acura NSX Hybrid Concept is Finally Here

Remember the NSX? I kind of don’t, I have to say, but by all accounts it was pretty awesome in its day. In Detroit this week, Acura showed off the prototype for the NSX successor, the Acura NSX concept. Rather than pure electric, it’s a hybrid supercar.

A second generation NSX has been in the works for ages; at one point it was supposed to have a V10 engine, and then there was no NSX, and then maybe it was a hybrid, and now Jalopnik tells us it’s Tony Stark’s new ride for the Avengers movie, and now, finally, it has shown up – at the Detroit Auto Show this week.

The Non-Specific Specifications

Like the previous NSX, the new hybrid also has a V6 engine. It’s supposed to be super lightweight (which it would have to be, in order to be quick and responsive and keep a high top speed without using massive amounts of gasoline), but Acura didn’t say exactly how light. Acura didn’t say how much power it was supposed to make, either, although there are rumors of something like 400HP.

The NSX concept has what Acura is calling a “bilateral torque adjustable control system” with 2 electric motors, which is I believe unique to this particular concept. It’s got all-wheel drive and can generate negative or positive torque to the front wheels, according to Acura, which should give it pretty awesome handling performance (we’ll see).

At Least It Seems Green

It also has a dual clutch transmission with a built-in electric motor, which is supposed to help its acceleration and efficiency both, but Acura is being pretty vague about nearly all the numbers.

Takanobu Ito, president and CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., wasn’t any more specific than the rest of the press release, but he did emphasize the greenness of the car:

“This Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system will make NSX the ultimate expression of Acura’s idea to create synergy between man and machine. The NSX will make the driver one with the car to enhance dynamic driving abilities without getting in the way. Like the first NSX, we will again express high performance through engineering efficiency. In this new era, even as we focus on the fun to drive spirit of the NSX, I think a supercar must respond positively to environmental responsibilities.”

The NSX is supposed to hit the market in three years, and it will be manufactured somewhere in Ohio. But what we really want to know is how low are its emissions, how fuel efficient is it really, and maybe how much power will it make and how fast will it go.

Come on, Acura, tell us.

If any of you want to guess in the meantime, let us know what you predict in the comments below.

About the Author

Charis Michelsen spent 7 years living in Germany and Japan, studying both languages extensively, doing translation and education with companies like Bosch, Nissan, Fuji Heavy, and others. Charis has a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and currently lives in Chicago, Illinois. She also believes that Janeway was the best Star Trek Captain.

For those of you that don’t remember (Charis), the NSX was the car that set the supercar bar upon its debut in 1989. Back then, Ferrari’s flagship was the “not quite 300 hp” Testarossa, Lamborghini was still thinking about a replacement for its 1970’s era Countach, and Porsche was still hocking hopped-up Beetles. The NSX came out and SMASHED them all, gaining accolades from every magazine on the planet and running rings around Ferrari’s 348 and TR, as well as Porsche’s flagship 3.3 and 3.6L Turbos and even Corvette’s might ZR1, despite a 100 hp deficit (thanks, in part, to the NSX’s aluminum monocoque chassis – the first of its kind to make it to a road car). Over a decade after the car’s introduction, it was still winning GT races … probably thanks to input from the car’s chief engineer (Soichiro Honda, himself, before he passed) and the car’s development driver (the great Ayrton Senna).

Will this new NSX live up to that? F*** no. Will it force Ferrari and Porsche and Lamborghini and GM’s Corvette team to re-think the way they develop sportscars? Probably not. Would I even think about swapping a 1st-gen NSX for this new pig? Not until I see one on a set of scales.

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